A Pirate Warlord of the Sea
What Makes a King “P-Please, P-Pirate Emperor! One of the seven warlords, Tabart-sama!” The old man dropped onto his knees, smashing his face into the dried soil, moisturizing it with the blood that dripped from the edges of his forehead. His hands were laid out in front of him. “I-I beg of you! My boy….we may be pirates, but he’s still my family! Allow me the opportunity to see him,” the hoarse voiced begged, coughing between his statements. He finally listed his face up from the earth, making visible the tears that were streaming down his cheeks. “I-I’ll give my life for his, so please, I beg of you…,” he continued, closing his eyes, “take me instead.” Tabart looked down at the man, listening intensely to every word he said. For him, this wasn’t new, not anymore. Ever since his last battle with Abel, the World Government had informed him that he wasn’t allowed to lose another one. If he did, they weren’t sure if he could retain his status as a Shichibukai. Which, for Tabart, meant that Frida, Phantasma, and everyone else he loved, were in jeopardy. He learned that he couldn’t protect them, not alone…. what kind of man couldn’t protect the ones he loved? No, what kind of King couldn’t. The words of his Aunt, Elizabeth inspired him in that moment: A King that cannot protect his own people is no King. Therefore, he did what he could. Since then, he had sought power. He would have it. A power that surpassed even Abel’s; a power that could force anything to surrender. Was this it? Was this that power he desired? This, begotten, old pirate laid at his feet, praying to him as if he was his hope, as if he was his monarch. Wasn’t this what he wanted to achieve? Isn’t this what he wanted? Tabart’s face contorted into a smirk, as he snapped his fingers. Roots sprouted from the earth, impaling the older man in his stomach as quickly as he had commanded. Blood dripped onto the soil, and onto the roots. The old’s man eyes were still, yet calm as he opened them, looking up towards Tabart. “B-B-But why?” “Because, it’s simply not possible to bring your son back,” he replied, tapping his body. “He’s apart of me now, like the rest of your crew, and like the rest of the inhabitants of this island. To think they were as foolish to try to hide you all from me, and then to attempt to attack me?” Tabart scoffed. “This is why this has happened. To attack a God…what hubris.” “Haha, I see,” the old man responded, his hands and body falling limp as he was slowly dragged into the ground beneath. “S-So, this is how I die, eh?” Tabart exhaled. “Fret not. Even in death, you’ll live on. For, your body, your life, your spirit….will live on in me.” “Ah, yes…I se—” There were no other words uttered as he was pulled into the dirty, abyss beneath the soil. Though, no one typically knew what happened there. For, no one had lived to ever see what happened after Tabart’s Yggdrasil got ahold of a man. All that ever emerged from the soil, after his technique was complete, was the fruit. Tabart turned around as a small fruit sprouted behind him upon a root. “Yes, this is everything that you are. Your life, everything, was used to make this forsaken fruit,” Tabart continued, taking the fruit into his hand. “It’s so small…. Though, you were the last person for today. Old and decrepit. I wonder how much time you really had left here?” He smirked and ate it. Tabart surveyed the island, watching as the soil has been transformed into dustbowls of barren, rotten land. The trees that once populated the island had all but withered away into stumps of spoiled wood, and red, crunchy leaves. There was nothing left anymore. No humans, no plant life, just the ruins of homes that once housed a great civilization that would forever be lost to the annals of history. It was pretty much guaranteed. Just as it always did, the news coo would herald him as a hero who conquered an island of Ruffians, of those who refused to submit to the almighty power of the World Government. In truth, they just hadn’t paid their holy tribute, and therefore they relied on the strength of pirates to protect it. But, for the World Government, that didn’t matter. In their fight, you were either with them, or against them. Tabart placed his hand on the soil, and exhaled, transforming the dusty dune into a slab of grass and vegetation. “I best get to it, right....Cane?" Terraforming Dustbowls Three days had passed since Tabart arrived on Newgrove Island and begun the restoration process of the entire island. Whereas the island appeared desolate and dead, it was now a hub of vegetation and life. There were entire forest of trees, Maplewood, oaks, and various other species that populated the lands to the north, whereas the lands to the south were decorated with wonderful plantations of sugar canes, tobacco, and various other plants that could be harvested for their raw products to help with the production of many different items and elixirs. There were many ships docked to the coast of Newgrove Island, that were being packed and loaded with supplies and loot that was plundered from the homes of the pirate-loving ruffians that dwelled here. However, carrying these crates were not people, but instead wooden constructs that took the shape of soldiers, horses, and whatever else Tabart conjured to assist with the transport; he pretty much made anything so that he, himself, wasn’t forced to do any of the heavy lifting himself. Usually, he could depend on Frida’s assistance, but she was currently tending to her own respective business. Tabart hadn’t been the only one to undergo a massive shift in power, nor was he the only one who realized that to survive in this cruel world, one had to become equally as cruel. Therefore, he stood at the docks, directing his constructs to their appropriate ships. He had plans to leave the island in another few days. But, before he could depart, he had to make sure it was clean, stripped, and prepped for any future operations. That was the only way that he could secure his funds from Cane and her organization. He was mostly finished with the terraforming and revitalization of Newgrove Island. Now, he just needed to strip it of anything else that may have been left: Diamonds, Gold, Jewelry, etc., One of his constructs approached him, saluting as he stood before him. “Y-You don’t have to do that, you’re literally just a piece of wo-“ Tabart paused and sighed. “Nevermind. What you got to say?” “We have finished plundering the mines to the West, sir. We have a caravan escorting several tons of gold now. They should arrive within the hour.” Tabart smiled. “Lovely. How are the fields growing? I suspect that you all aren’t having difficulties tending to those. That’s where we’re going to make our money. They pay me well, more than I’m going to collect from the bounties of those pirates I fucked up.” The construct, having taken the shape of a generic soldier, nodded. “Yes, sir. By the time that they arrive, we should have everything prepped for them. They’ll be able to take a great harvest from it.” Tabart leaned in. “And?” “And the fields should be sustainable as well. This island will serve as a wonderful nest for growing crops, sir.” Tabart nodded. “Good. In the meantime, I’m going to take a nap on the ship. Let me know if anything else emerges, understood?” "Yes sir!" All of Tabart's vessels were composed of the finest material that one could find, and most importantly, they had been crafted by the same shipping company of his other fellow Shichibukai, Kenway Veno. Therefore, while many of the ships that were currently in use were docked in the water, but several were currently anchored to the shores as they carefully floated in the air. This was the beauty of Veno's skills. He was among the only shipwrights in the world that could actually forge flying vessels. Therefore, when Tabart was told of this, he demanded several of these be made for himself and his affiliates. Of course, Veno required compensation, but since his descent into plundering and looting, Tabart hardly found himself short of funds. Tabart stepped on the deck of his ship, and his eyes flared a bright red almost immediately. He looked towards his office, clutching his blade as he quickly approached the door to his office. He opened it, stepped forward, and exhaled… “What does he want now?” The Perched Sparrow When Tabart had entered his office, the first thing he was likely to see was the raven-haired marine that was sitting in his desk chair; feet situated atop his desk, as he leaned back against the seat, eyeing the Shichibukai as he entered. On the desk was a modest stack of papers, listing several details, including information on Tabart given the picture of the pirate that was plastered all over the top page. Based on the stack's ruffled appearance, someone had just gone through them all. But before any attention could be paid to them, the male visitor finally spoke up. "You've been really busy, haven't you Tabart? It's odd to see Shichibukai be so active. Normally, they abuse their status and lounge around on some fancy-ass island fucking around. But you? You go to work, don't you? A busy little bee." the male mused. For someone as worldly as a Shichibukai, and for one as knowledgeable as Tabart likely was, it was difficult for him to mistaken this particular marine. It was Sparrow Raizen, a close subordinate to the Fleet Admiral Byakko himself. “Don’t have much choice but to be, do I?” Tabart replied, pulling a chair from the corner of the room and taking a seat. “Byakko had nothing to do with me being appointed, but there’s no doubt that he knows why I was appointed. He knows everything about me being a Celestial Dragon, knows about the fact that I killed Kenway Stalkman, the former World’s Strongest Man, and pretty much everything there is to know about me.” Tabart gave a pointed look to the stack of papers on his desk. “And you do to…When you not a member of that man’s inner circle, you have to work to get on his good side. Though, you wouldn’t know nothing about that, would you, Raizen-sama?” "Damn, you talk a lot, don't ya?" Raizen remarked, taking his feet off from the desk as he leaned forward, facing the Shichibukai. "They say people are chatty when they got something to hide." the Vice-Admiral added before staring silently at the Shichibukai. "You looking to take me on or something? But unfortunately, I'm not here to indulge on my personal interests. I'm here to talk about this shit you've been pulling in the New World islands." Tabart sighed and leaned back in his chair. “What the hell are you talking about, Raizen?” "What happened to your talkative self a second ago? Now you don't want to talk?" Raizen curtly replied, leaning back against the chair as he cupped his hands together on his lap. "You know damn well what I'm talking about. Your little experiments in the New World, on Monk territory no less. You said yourself that I should 'know everything' so why you keeping quiet all of a sudden? I think it'd be better for all of us if you spilled the beans a little here, Tabart." “It’s not that I don’t have a desire to talk,’ Tabart replied swiftly, “It’s just that I’m not sure exactly what you’re talking about with little details like that, Raizen. As you’ve mentioned, I’ve been quite the eager beaver since I was instated as a Warlord.” He folded his hands across his lap. “I have many affiliates now, and I am a man of many different activities. In fact, you caught me in the middle of a mission right now,” he continued. “Three days ago, Newgrove Island was a pirate nation that was serving as a haven, and major supplier for the Gunboat Pirates. They were using all their resources to fund their warships, cannons, blah blah. But, the big thing about this was that the Gunboat Pirates were allies of the Monks. Taking them out weakens the Monks; not immensely, but any loss in power is good, I would imagine.” Tabart paused, tapping his hand against the arm of his chair. “So, I wiped them all out….But, something tells me that’s not exactly what you’re talking about, is it? I presume you mean my side project. The one about the distribution of drugs across his empire?” "There's no mistaking the benefit your actions achieve toward the World Government's cause, but... as someone in that man's faction... you can probably tell we're not super thrilled about what you've been doing. 'People are a resource'. I'm sure you've heard those words before, Tabart. So care to explain? I can't imagine this is all to turn a profit or something that mundane." Raizen spat. “Ah yes,” Tabart replied, squinting his eyes as he focused on Raizen’s previous statement: That Faction. The World Government had shared prodigious information with him prior to him accepting the role as a Shichibukai, and since joining, he found himself slammed with new reports, and theories about virtually everything. However, there remained only one faction that not even the Cipher Pol, nor Carter Spring or Ayushi could truly pull information from. That was this faction that Raizen spoke of. From his work and interactions with Nez, he knew that they existed, but who exactly was in it was an uncertainty. Though, more than anything, what they wanted was the biggest mystery. “I’ll answer your question, if you answer mine, Raizen. What does your faction want with the Monks? Isn’t the goal to get rid of all the Yonko?” To that question, Raizen leaned back against his seat, his head tilted upwards as his eyes focused on the ceiling above. "Ours is not to question why, ours is only to do and die." the Vice-Admiral replied cryptically, before lowering his head to meet the Shichibukai's gaze once more. "I read that somewhere once before. It sounds like a load of shit, doesn't it? Blind soldiers running into a reckless shitstorm on the word of their blind commander. To anybody else, such a thing would sound like suicide. But that man's gaze is anything but blind. So you don't need to question why. Yours is only to do and die." Raizen firmly asserted, filling the room with a deep moment of tension that persisted only to be broken by the sudden eruption of laughter. "Relax, you shady fucker. I'm just fucking with you. What kind of question is that, anyways? You already know we're all about maintaining peace and balance. Fleet Admiral Byakko envisions a future where we're all working together, pirates and marines. People are a resource, all that jazz. Do you really need more of an explanation than that?" The pocket of air and saliva that found itself etched in Tabart’s throat finally subsided into his gut just as he exhaled a deep breath of relief. “Haha, yeah of course, Raizen. That makes complete sense,” he replied, forcing a chuckle following the Vice Admiral’s statement. Everyone knew who Raizen was, even if they weren’t aware that he was a direct subordinate of Kurama, himself. He was the war hero who managed to destroy and imprison the infamous revolutionary. Though he was known as a jester, and trickster of some sort, Tabart knew that he was more than fully capable of destroying anyone who stepped in the way of Kurama’s vision. Right now, he didn’t need any more enemies. Not while he was being pursued by every pirate crew that could utter his name. “Anyway, my reason for doing this is to weaken those that can find me. Yes, my actions do benefit the World Government, and thereby benefit me, but more than anything, weakening the Monks, and other Yonko, makes my place more secure in this world,” Tabart explained. “While they are focused on one another, and the marines, it makes it easy for us Shichibukai to move around and stir things up. Why would Daikaku care about a measly, little pirate like myself, when Shiguma is running around with ten million soldiers, or that Black Widow is destroying islands. It’s my chance to cement myself in this world, and to secure my family a future. If I do this, hell, well else do I need to do to prove myself anymore? After I do that, hopefully I can sit back, and be a lazy ass warlord like the rest of them.” "I admire that." Raizen remarked, oddly enough with a serious tone this time around. "I've always wanted that as well, a world that's so peaceful and quiet that we marines end up with too much time on our hands." he stated, ending it with a light chuckle. "But until his vision comes to fruition, I can't lounge around. Not for his sake, but because his goal is a goal worth fighting for." Raizen asserted softly. "That said, I would hope you realize the seriousness of wasting potential resources. Strong pirates can help our cause more than if they're dead." Tabart nodded. "I would agree, if that was the case, Raizen. You see, even though they're dead, they are still with me, per say. Here," Tabart continued, placing his palm on his body. "Every time I take over an island, or deal with a gang of pirates, I make them apart of me. Their memories, experiences, skills; It's all apart of me now." He smirked. "Not too dissimilar to what your boss does." "Except my boss isn't a sniveling pissant." Raizen crudely replied, without missing a beat. His tone had shifted almost instantly, and unlike the previous banter, it did not appear to be a joke. There was a cutting chill to his words, almost as though his speech alone was a blade meant to sever Tabart's life in twain. But his lips returned to a light smile, almost as if the storm had passed, as he reached into his pocket, pulling out a folded piece of parchment. Tossing it over to the Shichibukai with the belief that he'd catch it, Raizen spoke once more. "Then how about putting yourself to some good use for the World Government then, charity boy. Listed on there are some locations that have been determined to be serving as bases for revolutionaries. Deliver the standard message. Take one out, and the rest will fall in line. I'm sure a business man like yourself can figure that shit out." the Vice Admiral stated. Tabart caught the paper and opened it, inspecting every location. There were quite a few revolutionary bases listed, but Tabart was a pirate. What the hell did he care about revolutionaries for? "U-Um, I hate to break this to you little sparrow," he filled as he took his eyes off the piece off the map, "But I ain't got no beef with the revolutionaries. What the hell do I get out of this? You guys going to pay me or somethin, huh?" At his words, Raizen let out a boisterous laugh. "You're really not getting this, Shichibukai. Consider this an audition. If we find that you're actually a valuable resource, then we'll talk out a deal. Maybe even get the World Government to lower their cut to 25%. A lousy 25%. You get to live like a 75% king! But that comes after results." Tabart paused. "Yeah, fine...Whatever then. I'll take care of these revolutionaries, and when I do, I want to speak with the big bird himself, okay little sparrow?" "Let's just hope your worth is as big as your mouth, Shichibukai." Raizen replied, turning away from Tabart as he headed for the door. "Either way, I anticipate you and the boss crossing paths sooner or later. If I were you, I'd hope to get shit done before that day." he added, stepping out of the room as the door was shut behind him. Even should the Shichibukai attempt to follow him, or order his men to capture the marine, it was likely that the sparrow had already taken flight from his ship. Category:Role-Plays Category:Finished Role-Plays Category:Berserkchart486 Category:Silver-Haired Seireitou